Journal for healthcare quality : official publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality
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Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common, costly, and often preventable. There are no national requirements for measuring or reporting hospital SSI rates and state-level monitoring occurs with little coordination between states. We designed a study to describe the current status of SSI reporting in the United States. ⋯ There is wide variation in state monitoring and reporting of SSI rates. Standardized reporting may be needed so that consumers can make informed health choices based on quality metrics.